A Walk Among the Tombstones
2.5/4
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, Bryan "Astro" Bradley
Rated R for Strong Violence, Disturbing Images, Language and Brief Nudity
It seems all too rare these days that we get a movie like this: a movie made for adults. True, movies like "300," "Sin City" and their sequels were awash in bloody violence and some gratuitous sex and nudity, but that was the point. Ask any teenage boy if he's seen them, and chances are he's said yes. With a movie like "A Walk Among the Tombstones," there's little in the way of traditional action. It is violent, but the tone is more dour and brooding than over-the-top.
Matt Scudder (Neeson) is a retired police detective who acts as a private investigator who will help clients operating on the wrong side of the law. A recovering alcoholic, Matt quit being a police officer after a traumatic shooting eight years ago, and he's still dealing with some horrible demons after the incident. One night, he's contacted by a fellow member of his AA group, an ex-junkie named Peter (Holbrook). Peter's brother Kenny (Stevens) is a drug kingpin whose wife was kidnapped and brutally murdered the day before. Kenny wants Matt to find out who did it so he can enact some biblical revenge. Matt accepts when he realizes that this wasn't a one-time crime: a pair of serial killers is targeting the city's drug dealers.
For a film noir, it is odd to note that the film's central mystery is its least successful element. It's poorly written and filled with holes. Every time the film turns back to the murder mystery, Matt seems to know something he couldn't possibly know. For example, we never find out how he found out the killer's identities or their motives.
Fortunately, there's more to the story than that. The subplots of him interacting with a homeless teenager named TJ (Bradley) and wrestling with his past are much more effective. Sure, they (just like the rest of the movie, are ripped off of other, better movies ("The Crow," "Seven" and "The Silence of the Lambs" come to mind). But they keep things watchable.
The other saving grace of the film is the level of acting. Even if the film was better received (critics are ambivalent towards it while audiences have ignored it), it wouldn't be up for any Oscar statuettes. That doesn't mean there isn't some good acting here, though. Liam Neeson is on his game as always. The role of Matt Scudder isn't as original as it would seem, but few actors these days can play dour and intense like him (that being said, there is nothing in this film other than the lead actor that can be likened to "Taken"). Dan Stevens is intense to the point where he's a little frightening. Stevens is a British actor on the up and up thanks to the popularity of "Downton Abbey," and he uses his cold eyes for maximum effect. Boyd Holbrook makes for a good junkie and Bryan "Astro" Bradley is a natural talent (if a little rough around the edges at times).
This is the second film directed by Scott Frank, one of Hollywood's most reliable screenwriters (his credits include "Out of Sight," "Get Shorty," and "Minority Report"). His first film, "The Lookout," was a compelling character study/heist movie that put Joseph Gordon-Levitt back on the map. This film isn't as successful. I got the sense that Frank had tried to do too much; three plotlines is too much for a movie that's just shy of the two hour mark. Still, there are things worthy of praise in this film, such as the acting and the climactic action scene in the graveyard, which is well-staged and a little exciting.
It's not a terrible movie by any means, but with the talents of Neeson, Frank and the producing team of Danny DeVito, Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg (the three of them have been behind a number of terrific movies such as "Erin Brockovich," for which they received Oscar nominations, and "Contagion"), it is disappointing.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, Boyd Holbrook, Bryan "Astro" Bradley
Rated R for Strong Violence, Disturbing Images, Language and Brief Nudity
It seems all too rare these days that we get a movie like this: a movie made for adults. True, movies like "300," "Sin City" and their sequels were awash in bloody violence and some gratuitous sex and nudity, but that was the point. Ask any teenage boy if he's seen them, and chances are he's said yes. With a movie like "A Walk Among the Tombstones," there's little in the way of traditional action. It is violent, but the tone is more dour and brooding than over-the-top.
Matt Scudder (Neeson) is a retired police detective who acts as a private investigator who will help clients operating on the wrong side of the law. A recovering alcoholic, Matt quit being a police officer after a traumatic shooting eight years ago, and he's still dealing with some horrible demons after the incident. One night, he's contacted by a fellow member of his AA group, an ex-junkie named Peter (Holbrook). Peter's brother Kenny (Stevens) is a drug kingpin whose wife was kidnapped and brutally murdered the day before. Kenny wants Matt to find out who did it so he can enact some biblical revenge. Matt accepts when he realizes that this wasn't a one-time crime: a pair of serial killers is targeting the city's drug dealers.
For a film noir, it is odd to note that the film's central mystery is its least successful element. It's poorly written and filled with holes. Every time the film turns back to the murder mystery, Matt seems to know something he couldn't possibly know. For example, we never find out how he found out the killer's identities or their motives.
Fortunately, there's more to the story than that. The subplots of him interacting with a homeless teenager named TJ (Bradley) and wrestling with his past are much more effective. Sure, they (just like the rest of the movie, are ripped off of other, better movies ("The Crow," "Seven" and "The Silence of the Lambs" come to mind). But they keep things watchable.
The other saving grace of the film is the level of acting. Even if the film was better received (critics are ambivalent towards it while audiences have ignored it), it wouldn't be up for any Oscar statuettes. That doesn't mean there isn't some good acting here, though. Liam Neeson is on his game as always. The role of Matt Scudder isn't as original as it would seem, but few actors these days can play dour and intense like him (that being said, there is nothing in this film other than the lead actor that can be likened to "Taken"). Dan Stevens is intense to the point where he's a little frightening. Stevens is a British actor on the up and up thanks to the popularity of "Downton Abbey," and he uses his cold eyes for maximum effect. Boyd Holbrook makes for a good junkie and Bryan "Astro" Bradley is a natural talent (if a little rough around the edges at times).
This is the second film directed by Scott Frank, one of Hollywood's most reliable screenwriters (his credits include "Out of Sight," "Get Shorty," and "Minority Report"). His first film, "The Lookout," was a compelling character study/heist movie that put Joseph Gordon-Levitt back on the map. This film isn't as successful. I got the sense that Frank had tried to do too much; three plotlines is too much for a movie that's just shy of the two hour mark. Still, there are things worthy of praise in this film, such as the acting and the climactic action scene in the graveyard, which is well-staged and a little exciting.
It's not a terrible movie by any means, but with the talents of Neeson, Frank and the producing team of Danny DeVito, Stacy Sher and Michael Shamberg (the three of them have been behind a number of terrific movies such as "Erin Brockovich," for which they received Oscar nominations, and "Contagion"), it is disappointing.
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